Thinking Out Loud

We Have His Ear

2006-03-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

~Psalm 116~

¹I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. ²Because he turned his ear to me I will call on him as long as I live. ³The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. ⁴Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, save me!” ⁵The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. ⁶The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. ⁷Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.

The chances are good that someone reading this has had a near death experience. At the very least, I think that most people have some recollection of a moment in life when they feared death (about every day for on the streets of Pittsburgh).

Have you ever had an overwhelming sense that God was watching over you, and protecting you from danger? Then you know that he is guarding our lives with the utmost of care. Later on in Psalm 116 we read, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (vs 15).”

We are reminded of this fact in Acts when Stephen is martyred. Stoned to death for boldly proclaiming the gospel, he is ushered into eternal life by a standing ovation from the Godhead:

“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” – Acts 7:55-56

In verse 3 of our Psalm, the psalmist thanks the Lord for saving him from “the cords of death.” His response is to offer up his life; “I will call on him as long as I live.”

God doesn’t just see us, he hears us. . .he is listening for our voices, and our cries for mercy. We have his ear. We should respond as the psalmist does, by calling out to him.

Prayer Response:

Wherever you are, try taking a moment to respond to God by transforming the first two verses of Psalm 116 into a heartfelt prayer of devotion.

I love you Lord, for you heard my voice; you heard my cry for mercy. Because you turned your ear to me, I will call on you as long as I live.

Amen!

Full Of God's Word

2006-03-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

~Psalm 22:1-11~

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? ²O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent. ³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. ⁴In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. ⁵They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. ⁶But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. ⁷All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: ⁸"He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him." ⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast. ¹⁰From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother's womb you have been my God. ¹¹Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Hanging on a cross, nails pierced through his hands and feet, skin torn to shreds, head dressed with a crown of thorns, beard pulled out, abandoned by his friends, and mocked by the ones he loved. . .in these last dark hours of agony Jesus cries out. Would he curse God, or would he curse the people who hung him there?

⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" – Mat. 27:45-46

This sounds like a cry of doubt - “Why have you forsaken me?” - as if Jesus had run out of faith, and was questioning the very faithfulness of his heavenly father. Today we might say it like this, “Why have you given up on me when I need you most?” Is that how we should understand Jesus’ 9^th hour cry?

Read the entire 31 verses of Psalm 22, and think about Jesus. Try to draw the parallels between the events of his crucifixion, and the lament of the psalmist. How do you think Jesus would identify with each particular verse during his time of suffering?

In “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth,” Gordon Fee writes that the Psalms are profitable “for helping us (1) to express ourselves to God, and (2) to consider his ways. The Psalms therefore, are of great benefit to the believer who wishes to have help from the Bible in expressing joys and sorrows, successes and failures, hopes and regrets.”

It’s interesting to note that Jesus is ending his earthly ministry the same way he started it in the desert by facing a struggle head-on with God’s word. This is a brief glimpse into the devotional habits of Jesus. He was well acquainted with God’s word, and he let that word penetrate his heart. So much so that his response to the intense physical suffering of the cross was to find comfort in a Psalm that begins with suffering, but ends in praise. . .a snapshot of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

His response is far more dignified than when we slip with a hammer, stub a toe, get cut off in traffic, face financial pressures, struggle with relationship stresses, deal with life’s messes. . .we are often at our worst when things get worse. . .when we are caught off guard. We often forget how much God has done for us when we struggle. We lose heart, we waiver in our faith, and we flirt with unbelief. In Psalm 119:11 the psalmist extols the benefits of God’s word in keeping him on the right track, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Let me encourage you today to take a lesson from Jesus - be so full of God’s word that when life catches you off guard his word keeps you on track.

Prayer Response:

God, help me to be so full of your word in the face of difficulties, pressures, stresses, and pain that I can respond with faith. Help me find healing, and release in your word instead of the cursing, doubting, blaming, shouting, and breaking down that so easily beset me. Help me to hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Amen!

Measuring Up

2005-10-19T17:01:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago I went to Kennywood, a small amusement park local to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It doesn’t boast the world’s most impressive roller coasters, but it earns points for being family friendly, and ripe with local flavor. At the very least, it is a pleasant nostalgia trip into the soul of “the burgh”. Don’t get me wrong, they have their fair share of rides that would be main attractions at any amusement park, and the food is great, but the roller coasters aren’t very impressive (and we all know that it’s the roller coaster that makes the amusement park).

I had planned to write about my thrill seeking experiences the evening I returned from Kennywood, but after a few sentences it was clear that writers block had set in, and it was way too late to force anything. Perhaps the fact that my head was still spinning from my ride on “The Exterminator” could have contributed to the struggle. Since then I have drafted several paragraphs comparing life to a roller coaster – you know. . .ups, downs, twists, turns, and plenty of nausea along the way. After a few weeks, and a couple of new experiences my thoughts have turned in a different direction. I’ll try to take you there quickly.

I started going to amusement parks as a teenager, so I never experienced the shame of waiting in line for an hour only to be rejected at the entrance because I was too short. I would imagine that it could be pretty frustrating getting turned away year after year, especially when you’re very close to the cutoff. Anyway, on my most recent trip to Kennywood I was doing some people watching during a long wait for friends that were supposed to meet me near the entrance to “The Phantoms Revenge” – Kennywood’s best roller coaster by far.

During this time I noticed some kids that ranged in age from about 8 to 10 years old walking up to the ride. One of the kids looked pretty short, but not young – he was the “runt” of the litter I guess. As he approached the ride it was obvious that he tried to avoid the measuring rod. According to safety standards, he wasn’t tall enough to ride. He was quickly stopped and sent to the side – he told his friends to go on, but they got out of line and headed toward another ride. I felt bad for the little guy, but in the end, all of this rejection is going to make his first ride so much better.

What about you? Have you ever felt like you don’t measure up? Maybe you’ve tried to avoid the measuring stick altogether. I am definitely with you on this one. It sure is a terrible feeling to want something so badly, only to find out that external forces have already determined that you don’t have what it takes. This could happen in the workforce when it comes to promotions, job interviews, raises, bonuses, etc. It happens in relationships when trying to make friends in a new environment (i.e. school, church, etc.). For me it happens in my head. I have often missed out on God given opportunities because of that annoying little whisper, “you’re just not good enough.”

Whatever the case may be, we all know what it feels like to come up short in our minds, and in the minds of others. Perhaps you’re dealing with it today. I hope these next few words will help you grow beyond the measuring sticks of mere men.

~1 Corinthians 1:26-30~

²⁶Brothers, think of what you were when you were called (when you came to Christ). Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

I’m not good enough, I could never do that, I’m not qualified, I don’t have the credentials, I am just a disappointment, my peers are so much more successful than me. . .

Does any of this sound familiar? Have you resisted following God’s direction because of your own perceived weaknesses? Have you closed an open door due to a fear of failure? You are not alone! Listen closely to the conversation Moses had with God in Exodus 6:28-30.

²⁸Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, ²⁹he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you." ³⁰But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

Basically, Moses thought of speaking as a weakness for him. Who knows, he may have even stuttered a lot, but we know that at the very least he was afraid his speaking ability was too weak to fulfill what God was asking him to do at the moment. Do you have any closet confidence issues like this? Do you have any perceived limitations that are holding you back from being everything that God has created you to be? I know that these are tough questions, because we may have to look back at some painful experiences to give an honest answer. We have all been chewed up and spit out by other human beings in many unspeakable ways. In painful ways that may still be tender to the touch. These experiences have a way of informing our self-image, especially when they happen to us in our younger years.

I’m going to be very open in hopes that it helps you to process your own experiences more objectively. To this day I struggle with social awkwardness that I know stems from getting picked on in school. Don’t feel bad for me, I’m not consumed by it, but every once in a while something will creep up and try to tell me that I’m nothing special. What a shame it would be if I allowed this to rule my adult life. Likewise, it would be a tragedy if your growth in life was stunted because of the measuring standard of someone else who doesn’t measure up to the standard of someone else who doesn’t measure up to the standard of someone else. . .

Do you get my drift? The measuring standard of this world is meaningless! It will always be too high. We need to find freedom from this kind of comparison. I’ve spent half of my life measuring my greatest weaknesses against the greatest strengths of others. I even reason my greatest strengths into weaknesses by measuring them against the best of this world. What contempt with which to treat the unique gifts God has given me to serve Him with. Living in this cycle of comparison will paralyze anybody; it paralyzed me for many years. We are in for a miserable life if we don’t learn a better way to deal with this struggle.

I think the key is to gain some perspective. Measured by the standard of this world you will always come up short, but measured against God’s standard the weak are strong, the poor are rich, and the humble are lifted up.

Next time someone asks you to be a part of something that seems bigger than you, instead of thinking of 100 reasons why you can’t, think of the one reason why you can – obviously that person sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself. Furthermore, the next time God calls you in a direction that requires the development of your perceived weaknesses don’t hesitate to listen. He obviously knows that there is something He locked up deep inside of you that is ready to come out. Are you foolish, are you weak, are you lowly? Good for you! That means you’re ready to do big things for God.

He Is Not Far From Each Of Us

2005-10-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

“From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' ” (Acts 17:26-28a)

Often times I struggle with the tension of being a follower of Christ yet feeling so far from Him. I think we all would agree that sometimes it feels like He is ten million miles away from our reality. This sure does complicate things when you’re trying to follow the Leader, but His intentions have never been to shake free from our gaze and assert Himself as a distant force in the galaxy. He wants nothing less than a relationship with you that is “up close and personal”. If you’ve felt far from Him recently take note of the prayer He prayed just before crossing the Kidron Valley into the kiss of Judas, His betrayer:

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (John 17:25-26)

We would do well not to complicate things. . .it doesn’t matter how far from God that you may feel at times. His desire is always to reveal Himself to you, to love you, and to dwell within you. In this He will never waiver. In church we often sing “all I want is more of you”. I love this song, because it expresses an utter dependence on Jesus for true satisfaction in life. However, I have found that while I am “wanting more”, He has withheld nothing. He has given every bit of Himself so that I could truly know Him. Now I need to give myself fully to Him.

In the incarnation (God's becoming human; the union of divinity and humanity in Jesus of Nazareth) God proved once and for all that He is committed to this relationship. In the cross The Judge stood on trial and submitted Himself to the crooked justice of that which He had created. On a distant hill in a land called “skull” His arms were stretched and nailed in place, as if to say “these arms are always open to receive you.” And with this white-hot flame of passion ablaze a top Golgatha, the image of sacrificial love was burned into the horizon of eternity. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one has raised a thousand tongues.

So let us together proclaim, “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemers praise. . .”

My encouragement in being a follower of Christ today is this – Jesus is not far from each one of us. In Him we live and move and have our being, so let’s walk with Him.

Butterfly Faith

2005-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

This morning I noticed a beautiful little section of stained glass in our church that depicts the resurrection of Jesus as a butterfly emerging from a coffin. During most hours of the day this piece seems quite ordinary, no more spectacular than the rest, but today I saw the scene come to life as the sun made its first peek through the windows. The colors glowed almost to the appearance of movement and the butterfly looked like it could take off at any moment.

I wish I could say that my mornings are always this “fanciful”, but it is not my normal habit to engage the senses before sunrise. Nevertheless, today I was up early with the intention to talk to God about a few things and get some direction from Him in the process. His message to me was BUTTERFLY.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not one to go looking everywhere for a sign that God is speaking to me. Sometimes I wish He would send an angel with a post-it note stuck to the tip of its sword, but in the long run I have found the scriptures to be altogether sufficient in my daily plea for direction. However, I am often amazed at how the little things in life can speak so profoundly to the big issues I face from day to day. It is almost as if God put that very thing at that very place on that very moment for the very purpose of communicating a very important message to me – it might as well be an angelic post-it note signed, TO KENNY, FROM GOD. Usually it’s a gentle reminder of something He already spoke to me in His word, and that is where I find myself today. I will do my best to relay the message with clarity.

As the sun shined through the stained glass butterfly this morning I was reminded of something I tell children when they go through tough times: GOD SPECIALIZES IN MAKING UGLY THINGS BEAUTIFUL (something I am truly grateful for :o).

Consider the complete metamorphosis of a butterfly - their life cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (cocoon or chrysalis), and adult. I am sure one can argue that each of these stages are full of beauty, and I would agree that nature is a stunning representation of God’s glory, but I am going with the kids on this one:

Stages 1-3 – Yuk, gross, ewe

Stage 4 – Wow, cool, awesome

This metamorphosis is so extreme that we can sometimes forget that the butterfly once was a hairy little caterpillar. Yet even a child understands that we would not have the bright colors and graceful flight of the butterfly without a few ugly stages before. Much the same, we struggle through some pretty ugly stages of life, but the result is something beautiful - a life that is changed. The metamorphosis from a difficult situation to the character that God develops within us through that situation is so extreme that in the midst of it we can forget that God is going to bring about something special. Some of us may feel like our whole lives have been spent in a cocoon.
Have you ever wondered if anything wonderful can come of your life? Don’t worry, you are not alone, I am with you. It’s a funny thing though, God knew all along that there was something special about you. He made you special. Maybe you forget that sometimes. Let me remind you with a Psalm:

Psalm 139:13-16; For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

He made you for a purpose - look at Ephesians 2:10; For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Let me remind you - you are far from ordinary, you are extraordinary and God made you that way. . .He is making you that way each day. Check out 1 Peter 1:3-7 on this:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Well, I have gone on too long. I guess the message of this morning for me was that everything will be alright. . .things may look like a caterpillar now, but just wait. . .keep the faith. . .a butterfly is on its way.

When you’re wrapped in yuk, don’t give up
and a butterfly you will be.

Don't Give Up

2005-07-28T11:59:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! It has been a long time since I've updated things. . .almost 3 months. I hope to be more consistent in the future, but it takes a long time to get my brain working. Anyway. . .

I know how busy things can get, so I am sure that some of us have had difficult weeks. Have you been stressed out by a boss, a coworker, a project/task, a meeting, a financial struggle, dissatisfaction with your career choice, family problems, etc.? The first thing you should know is that you aren't alone. There are other men and women out there dealing with the very same struggles. Look around - they might be sitting next to you and they might be doing worse than you. I know what you're thinking, "that wasn't a very gripping gesture of sympathy Kenny, now I feel worse." Don't worry; I'm not done yet.

Have you struggled with the tough questions of life this week? Am I good enough? Can I succeed? Do I matter? Is my life headed in the right direction? What should I do? How do I measure up? Is this the best it's going to get? Can things get any worse? Where are you God?

We have all been there at one time or another. I'm sure that a lot of us are caught up in the eye of this storm today. A good way to get out is to get our eyes off of ourselves. The scriptures continually call us to view our lives from a heavenly perspective. This may sound naïve, but it is true; God is going to work things out. The psalmist continually reminds us that though there are struggles in life God has worked on his behalf in the past and will do the same in the present and future. His only obligation is to praise the Lord in the sight of his struggles (i.e. Psalm 42).

I'm going to share a very simple verse that is easy to memorize but extremely difficult to internalize.
It is the answer to every struggle of life. . .But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

The only answer to the questions that plague our thoughts is God. The key to fulfillment in life is not to seek fulfillment in life, but to seek fulfillment in Him.

I know, it is easier said than done, but that doesn't negate the fact that it must be done.

In an acceptance speech for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards (an annual sports awards show) on March 4, 1993 the former North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano (while fighting cancer) offered these simple yet profound words of inspiration (motto of the V Foundation for Cancer Research):

Don't give up. . .don't ever give up.

(For the complete text or audio version of the speech go to http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jimvalvanoespyaward.htm)

In the tenth chapter of the book of Hebrews we find similar encouragement:

³²Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ³³Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. ³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. ³⁸But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." ³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

God Bless.

Growing Beyond My Experience

2005-05-12T11:09:00.000-04:00

I've never read a blog, so I don't know what makes me think that anybody will read my blog, but Manoj (our web wizard) has assured me that it is a useful tool of communication. The verdict is still out for me, but I've been around long enough to know that if I assign value to things based on the 5' 8" measuring stick of my existence I will never grow beyond my experience. I guess that will be my thought for today:

We must grow beyond our experience.

My international friends challenge me in this. They have broken through social and cultural barriers to become some of the most productive young men in America. At 26 I was afraid of moving from Long Island, New York to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their ride to the airport was probably longer than that! Yesterday I turned 29 - my last growth spurt took place around 13 years ago and I have been 5' 8" ever since. Who knows, by the time I am 70 I could be an inch shorter. While this may be an acceptable physical process we should refuse to accept the shrinking of our lives - spiritually, emotionally, relationally, educationally, etc.

I like the optimism of one contemporary musician, "One day I'll fly, one day I'll soar, one day I'll be so much more because I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for."

If we don't grow beyond ourselves we are in danger of becoming the most pessimistic, opinionated, unteachable and unquestionably undesirable people on the planet. So if you find yourself sipping vinegar at the corner of Bitter Boulevard and Sour Street it's probably time for you to start growing up.

". . .we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39

"I blog, therefore I am"